Against Pein
by Newclear
Summary: Pein has come to Konoha.
1. Awakening

Awakening

"Wake up, kiddo."

Kenshin sat up straight on his bed. A man stood at the foot of his bed, his eyes hidden behind a pair of round black shades.

"Valdescir, do you know what time it is? It's…" Remiel said, picking up his alarm clock.

"1:45 AM? Aw man, what are you doing here?" asked Remiel.

"How're you enjoying your vacation?" asked the man, running a hand through his hair.

His ponytailed hair was jet-black, his pale face standing out in the gloom. Two long hairs hung in front of his face, splitting his face into three parts.

"It's…it's going great."

"You'll have to go back to Zion soon." said Valdescir, rummaging through his black Western-style duster.

"Can't you buy me more time?" pleaded Remiel.

"I've told them that I've placed you here to monitor the situation here on this realm, the Seven Sparks are buying it for now, but I don't know for how long. I suggest that you enjoy your time here while you can." said Valdescir, finding a pack of cigarettes.

Kenshin fell silent.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you guys, and I'll try to think up a reason to keep you here. If you give the Sparks a valid reason to stay, such as an attack or an impending apocalypse, maybe they'll grant you a permanent stay." Said Valdescir as he put the cigarette on his lips, and then looked for a lighter.

He pulled out a stainless silver lighter, and lit up.

Kenshin's eyes shone with a glimmer of hope.

"Till then, see ya…" said Valdescir, who turned around, and waved goodbye, the red pinprick of his lit cigarette slowly fading away…

Remiel sat in his bed, think of a good reason to give the Sparks, and only one came to mind…

_Hinata…_

"The Hokage will not hand over Naruto. One who goes against the will of a god must be punished. Konoha will be made an example, to others who think they can defy Pain with impunity..."

"I will have the Nine-Tails, and peace will be achieved…" said Pain, preparing himself as he left the Akatsuki Hideout, Konan in tow, and prepared to destroy Konoha.

End of Ch.1


	2. Battlefield

Battlefield

Remiel couldn't help but cast his thoughts back to that rude awakening, even now as he fought to defend Konoha against the Akatsuki leader, the one who called himself Pein.

He dodged an incoming missile from a bald ninja with spikes jutting out of his skull. This one always wore a mocking smile on his face, even after he had his right arm severed by an explosive kunai. Remiel threw another explosive kunai at the ninja, only to watch the ninja fire another missile from his left arm at the kunai, blowing it up a few feet short of its target.

He didn't wait for the kunai to explode. After he had thrown it, he immediately charged up a Tempest Fang jutsu after the explosion, and rushed toward the bald ninja.

The ninja wasn't expecting a melee attack after his kunai, and was hit by the Tempest Fang squarely in the chest. He felt the Tempest Fang connect, and tried his new technique.

"Wind Style Jutsu! Violent Fang Explosion!" he screamed, and watched the bald ninja's chest explode, splitting him in two from the sternum.

Remiel didn't hesitate to use his rather drastic technique, seeing the machinery underneath after nailing the ninja's arm with the kunai a while back. As he watched the chest tumble head over ribcage in the air, he saw the circuitry under the cloak.

The ninja's torso fired another missile toward Remiel. He raised a wing to shield himself as it exploded harmlessly on his wing.

He had told Hinata to stay somewhere safe, to be ready to fight when she needed to. She wanted to join him on the battlefield, but he had felt Pein's strength, and knew that Hinata might not stand a chance against him. Even though she had a new jutsu, the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists, he knew it would not be enough. She insisted on fighting by his side, but he had to keep her safe.

He couldn't lose her again…

A searing pain struck him from behind, and as he turned, he saw another Pein, this one had long hair, and a diagonal bar pierced through the bridge of his nose. This ninja formed handseals, and blew a long stream of fire towards him.

He raised his red knife, Agni, and it absorbed the stream of fire into itself.

"Fire Style Jutsu! Flame Cutter!" yelled Remiel, and slashed toward the ninja, leaving a large flaming crescent speeding toward him.

The ninja dodged it, only to be greeted by a fist to the face from Sakura, sending him rocketing into a wall. She flashed him a thumbs up, and went to help the others.

He had never worked with Team 7, and since Naruto was still on his way, he was assigned to be a substitute.

For now.

_Agni and Rudra are probably in their own fights right now…_he thought to himself, as he followed Sakura's lead, and got a bit closer to the true Pein.

End of Ch.2


	3. The Siblings

The Siblings

Agni had never felt happier in his entire existence. And to think that he was originally assigned to be the warmth of fireplaces around the world, now he was in his first battle, and he was itching to go all out on his enemy, a rather pretty petite kunoichi.

She formed a handseal, and out of a smoke cloud, a massive crab suddenly appeared.

Agni could see that the crab had the same piercings as its "master".

The crab reared up, and breathed out a massive wave of bubbles. Agni immediately ignited, and as the bubble wall hit, he intensified his burn, and evaporated the oncoming wave.

He then ignited the gas within the bubbles, and ironically, sent a rolling wave of fire right back at the crab. The fire washed over the crab, turning it into a blackened husk.

"Well, that was a good start!" said Agni, proud of his work.

The girl, clearly not impressed, immediately summoned a massive many-headed dog appeared out of a puff of smoke.

The dog bounded toward him, its many mouths slavering, and ropes of drool flying backwards. Agni whipped out his two bladed tonfas, edges glowing a dull red.

"Okay, doggie, sit!" he said as he prepared for impact.

He stepped aside as the dog came close, and drove his blades deep into the dog's left shoulder. The smell of burning flesh permeated the air.

The dog howled.

Agni cut off the dog's left forepaw, and felt the blades go through the dog like a hot knife through butter. He kept going and severed its left hindleg as well, the stumps' edges coagulated by the heat.

"Oh yeah! Score one for Agni!" Agni roared as he did his own little victory dance over the maimed dog.

Suddenly, the dog rose up, and from the stump of its severed legs came two new limbs.

"No way…"

And where the severed limbs once lay, there now stood two dogs, hackles raised.

"Aww, shit."

Rudra was faring a little better.  
At least her opponent didn't multiply every time she hit him…

The ninja had landed a few feet from where she stood, and she approached him, thinking it was an ally. A pillar of fire shot out of the point of impact, and Rudra had barely enough time to dodge it when the ninja leaped out of the hole. He formed his handseals, and sent a water jet, strong enough to rip her apart, shooting towards her.

"Wind Style Jutsu, Frost Whiplash!" said Rudra, and cracked her whip just as the jet of water was close enough to touch. As her whip hit the water, it flash-froze, preserving every fluid curve and arc.

She brought it back for another blow, and shattered the ice sculpture with her whip.

"Wind Style Jutsu, Blaze Whiplash!" she sent the whip hurtling toward the ninja, and as the whip struck his arm, it exploded in a flash of blood and fire.

The ninja didn't seem to be fazed by the loss of his arm, and rushed toward Rudra with a flurry of punches. Rudra managed to parry most of the punches, but was winded by one punch she just couldn't block.

She fell to the ground, puffing hard. The ninja raised his arm to strike her, when suddenly a green knife was jutting out of his neck. He fell to the ground, clutching weakly at the knife, trying in vain to pull it out.

A figure approached from a distance, and as it moved closer, Rudra saw a familiar face.

"Remiel!"

Remiel reached the dead ninja, and pulled out his knife. He shook the blood off, and helped Rudra up.

"Easy there, Rudra, he almost got you. Stay on your toes." He warned as he winked to her, and followed Sakura and Sai back into the fray.

Rudra felt ashamed. She had committed a rookie mistake, and had to be rescued by Remiel. She scolded herself for being so careless, and went to help Agni.

"I HATE DOGS!!!"

Agni yelled as he cut every dog that leaped at him. He cut at every dog that missed, and hit every dog that didn't. What was once a massive many-headed dog was now a large pack of them, in the hundreds, and counting…

He was starting to tire, and the dogs knew it. More and more dogs were latching onto him, bringing him down with their combined weight. The dogs "dogpiled" over Agni, and soon Agni was immobilized.

He wasn't going to die like this, under a pack of slavering, drooling mutts. He was going to die on his feet, going to die fighting.

Agni's heart filled with rage at his own helplessness. He felt this rage burn brighter with each passing moment, until he could take no more…

He ignited as he had never before, and created a massive pillar of fire, setting every dog alight. He burned so fiercely that his skin burnt away, revealing an exoskeleton made of rock and lava. His body was engulfed in flames, and every dog that approached him was burnt into a crisp. He shot flames at the pack of dogs till nothing was left but ashes. He then turned his rage toward the master of the dogs.

He formed his handseals, and slowly formed a ball of fire. It grew larger with each passing second, and as it grew, its heat grew more and more intense.

The kunoichi summoned a massive panda to protect her, but Pein knew it would not be enough.

The ball was now the size of a small building, and Agni slowly pulled back his fist, and punched the ball toward the massive panda wall. For a while, it seemed to hold, but then, the panda slowly burned, and then, the ball went straight through the panda, and it engulfed the kunoichi in flames, leaving only bones and piercings that glowed red-hot.

Suddenly, a smoke cloud covered the bones, leaving the charred remains of a burnt tree stump.

"Dammit!"

The kunoichi appeared behind him, and summoned a large drill-beaked bird. It stood on two of its three legs, with the third on its tail. The odd bird gave a loud squawk, which made Agni's ears hurt, which only pissed him off some more.

The bird soared straight into the sky and from there, dropped a large green egg. It was the size of a basketball, and fell straight toward Agni. Agni leaped to the side, and just in the nick of time, for when the egg hit the ground, it detonated on impact.

Agni looked up, and saw more of the green eggs falling through the air. He formed his handseals, and fired small speedy fireballs that sped toward the falling eggs, detonating them instantly.

The bird, not happy having its eggs destroyed, dove toward Agni at breakneck speed. Agni formed handseals once more, and shot a massive jet of flame towards the bird. The bird gave a surprised squawk, and turned to ash.

The kunoichi, however, was not finished. She summoned a large rhinoceros, and sent it charging toward him. When the beast was within range, Agni drove his flaming fists into the ground, and suddenly, a large crack made its way to a point before the rhino.

The instant the rhino was in front of the crack, a massive geyser of magma shot up from beneath it, burning it into a crisp.

Agni suddenly felt light-headed, and knew he had used his last jutsu.

While spirits like him could stay in their true forms on other worlds indefinitely, usage of skills while in the true form was limited to a few uses, since the body the world gave them was treated as their true form, and any other body they turned into at will or otherwise would feed off of their own energy.

Agni reverted to human form, and felt his chakra slowly replenish. The kunoichi then summoned her last beast. It was a massive ram, and sped toward Agni faster than the rhino did. It would be on Agni long before he could pull out a jutsu.

The ram was almost on him, when it suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.

Agni looked to where the kunoichi was, and saw only a jawbone. He looked around for his savior, and when he found him,

"Took you long enough to get here."

Naruto just shrugged.

"Just say thanks and I'll be on my way."

Agni stood, and pointed back to the center of Konoha.

"You better get your ass over there, that's where all the action's at."

With that, Naruto ran as fast as he could to the center of Konoha, where the sounds of battle was louder than anywhere else.

End of Ch.3


	4. Sacrifice

Fight!

Remiel quickly got to his feet, pulling out the scrolls stuck to his belt. He bit his thumbs, and spread the blood on the scrolls. In an instant, two knives appeared in his hands. Each one's blade was as long as his forearm. One had a dull red color, its blade wavy, while the other had a rectangular blade, it's middle hollow, leaving only its edge..

"Hinata, stay here, I have to keep you safe." said Remiel.

"But I have to help! I can use the Lion Fist!" reasoned Hinata.

"You haven't perfected it yet! It's not that I'm babying you; it's just that I'm worried that it might not be enough. That thunder I heard was no storm, it sounded like the walls. Whoever brought the Konoha Walls down must have either an army at his disposal, or has the power of one…"

Hinata looked crestfallen, but Kenshin gave her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry! I'll teach you loads of other techniques when I get back!"

Tsunade had rallied all the available Jounin, and assigned one to deliver a message to Naruto.

"Tell him Konoha is under attack." ordered Tsunade.

"And tell him to move his ass!"

As the lone Jounin departed, she turned to all the others, all of Konoha's Finest, who were left, and issued one order.

"Give it all you've got to keep this village standing."

Remiel got to the walls along with Agni and Rudra at his side. The three saw a massive ram, though its head was more horn than face. The large horns on its head were studded with black piercings. Suddenly, the massive ram charged right at him.

"Agni, right flank, Rudra, left." ordered Remiel.

"Got it. What about you?" asked Rudra.

"I'm going for the horns."

Remiel readied his blades as Agni and Rudra leaped out of the way. The ram kept its course, its momentum keeping it going.

When the ram came into striking distance, so close Remiel could see the whites of its eyes, he leapt straight at the monster, both knives stretched out before him…

Agni and Rudra had done this before. They once tripped a beast twice this monster's size, while Rem ran his knives across the beast's back.

Rudra tossed the end of her whip to Agni, careful not to flick it back and send the force shooting straight through its end and into Agni's outstretched hand. Agni caught it, and pulled the whip taut.

They didn't have long to wait.

The ram immediately reached the tripline, sending it hurtling into the ground, sending out a loud, low bleat as it did so.

Rem watched the beast go down, and landed on the ram's horns. He jammed his blades into the base of the ram's skull. It thrashed for but a few moments, then lay still. Suddenly, in a great puff of smoke, the creature vanished.

Rem looked to where the ram came from, and saw a familiar face, a face he had some personal issues with.

Pain…

"That all you got?!?" he yelled to his adversary.

Pain saw the three figures that stood between him and the destruction of Konoha. More were arriving to the wall. Then he realized that he recognized that masked shinobi.

It was the one that managed to defeat the Human Path.

Remiel, Agni and Rudra watched the long-haired figure bite his thumb, and watched as five other figures appeared alongside him.

They could hear the others approaching their position.

Good.

He liked having backup.

Then, suddenly, all six figures, all of them Pain, suddenly sped off to different directions.

"Tell me again why we have to kill everyone."

Konan was looking at Konoha, watching from afar. She returned to Nagato's hidden lair after all six had been deployed.

"Konoha isn't the village, Konoha lives in every man, woman and child that was born in it, and so long as the villagers of Konoha survive, Konoha will never be truly destroyed…" answered Nagato.

Remiel caught up with one, one that had bolts sticking out of his head like a grotesque crown. He had this mocking smile on his face, one that only stoked the flames of Remiel's wrath. This bastard endangered the lives of the village he had sworn to protect, and he just kept smiling.

And so, fueled by hatred, Remiel rushed at him, his knives primed to kill…

Pain saw the masked shinobi rush at him, and prepared his counterattack…

Suddenly, Remiel saw a massive flaming arrow rocket straight toward him. He immediately somersaulted over it, the arrow clipping his shoes, melting the ends.

_That was close…_ he thought to himself

_If I got the timing wrong, I would've been toast!_

He began to question his decision of splitting up with the siblings…


	5. Avenger

Avenger

Remiel cradled Hinata's cold body in is arms, tears flowing from his eyes. He had hoped, yes, hoped that it would end differently, that for once, fate would leave him and his beloved alone...

It just wasn't fair...

Pein approached the genin, readying his blade if the boy tried something foolish. The boy's back was to him. As he came near, he could hear the boy mutter something that sounded like...

"It's not fair..."

Pein reached the boy, and as he raised his blade to strike him down, but at that moment...

"IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!!!" the genin roared in anguish and rage, creating a shockwave that sent Pein and his bodies flying through the air.

Pein landed a few feet away from the genin on his feet. The others did as well. He could see the raw chakra emanating from him, chakra so strong it was visible. He could see the boy's skin slowly peeling away, dissolving in the open air, and where the skin peeled off, there was bone-white skin underneath.

Remiel felt the bloodlust cloud his mind, but he kept it at bay, for he had to do one last thing.

He grabbed the spike protruding from Hinata's chest, and sent a bolt of pure divine energy through it, completely disintegrating it. That done, he succumbed to his rage, and gave in to his bloodlust...

The genin Pein had fought before was no more, slowly becoming the being that destroyed the former Human Path. Its skin and clothes had peeled away, revealing more of that bone-white roiling chakra. As the last bit of skin burnt away, black tattoos slowly engraved themselves on its skin, curling and uncurling over its arms and chest. It raised its head to sniff at the air, and when it caught Pein's scent, it turned to him, revealing black eyes with yellow pupils that seemed to glow. Crescent moon markings traced themselves around its eyes, eyes filled with malice and hate.

And then, the chakra around him slowly materialized into six tails that did twist and loop amongst themselves. And as if to signify the end of its change, it gave a sonorous roar, creating a shockwave that cratered the earth around it. Its eyes fixed upon Pein, and its mouth slowly formed a grin of pure malice. The being vanished, and suddenly reappeared right in front of Pein, in its hand materialized a long katana, formed out of the same white chakra. Pein used Shinra Tensei, but was shocked when instead of sending the being flying away from him, he found himself flying backwards, away from the being. He landed, hard, a few feet away from it, amongst his other bodies. He quickly got to his feet, moved behind the Asura Path who was in front, and protected the Naraka Path behind them. The being rushed toward them, and when it was within the Asura's range, the Asura fired his arm toward it. The being dodged it with fluid grace, and when it was directly in front of the Asura, it vanished once more. It reappeared directly behind the Naraka Path, who was behind all of the Paths. It drew back its arm for a strike, and cut the Naraka Path in two, from head to groin.

The Naraka Path fell in two halves. The being vanished once more, and reappeared a few feet away from the five remaining Paths. Above them, the sky became overcast with dark thunderclouds. Pein looked up, and knew that this was not his doing. The being raised its hands to the heavens, and two large tornados emerged from the clouds. They touched down next to him, and with a smile that sent shivers down Pein's spine, it sent the tornados toward them.

Naruto saw everything, and after Hinata fell, he quickly rushed over as Remiel engaged the Six Paths. He reached Hinata just as Remiel rushed toward Pein. He bent over Hinata, and checked her pulse, in the small hope that she was alive.

He felt nothing. Not one beat. He gave Hinata a kiss on her warm forehead, and turned to leave when he realized, that corpses were cold, and that Hinata...

"...Might not be dead, you ask?" came a voice from behind him.

Naruto turned, and saw a man in a long black trenchcoat, his long black hair tied back in a ponytail, his eyes hidden behind round shades.

"Don't need to introduce ye'self, I already know who you are, as for me...you're better off not knowing." Said the man, lighting a cigarette with an ornate silver lighter.

"What're you doing here?" asked Naruto.

The cigarette lit, and the man took a deep drag before he answered, smoke accompanying his words.

"I'm here to watch the fight."

With that, the man conjured a chair made out of stone, and proceeded to sit. Another stone seat appeared next to him, and the man gestured at Naruto to sit.

Promptly, Naruto obeyed and sat down.

"I should be fighting with-"

"No, you sit down and have a rest, trust me, you'll miss after this." The man cut him off.

"You'll have to make some tough decisions, Naruto, for Konoha's sake, you'd better make the right ones." The man took another deep drag, and let it go.

"Take it easy for now."said the man, patting Naruto on the back.

The man stood up, just as Remiel was unleashing tornadoes on Pein and Co., and as he stood, the seat of stone sank back into the ground. He flicked his cigarette onto the ground, and stamped down on it.

"All I'm sayin', is that you should take it easy, and do what feels right."

"Sayonara, kiddo."

And with that, the man vanished, leaving Naruto alone to his thoughts.

The 5 Paths of Pein fell back while the tornadoes shot toward them from the sky. The tornadoes weaved betwixt each other, trying to hit their target. The Paths knew they couldn't keep it up forever. And just when the tornadoes had herded them into a tight circle, they vanished. But the sky did not clear up, still as stormy as it was when the fight began.

At last, the being spoke. It spoke with two voices, one sounded like the voice of the genin, the other spoke in a low, husky voice.

"How about dying with some dignity?" it said, two swords materializing in its hands.

"Trial by Blade..."

The Paths broke from their circle, and formed a line, shoulder to shoulder. Their black chakra spikes emerged from their sleeves, and into their hands, while the Asura Path took it a step further by losing his cloak, and revealing his saw blade tail, while keeping his six hands full with black chakra spikes.

The being that was once Remiel ran its eyes over each and every Path, scrutinized their weaponry, and gave another grin.

"Five against one is hardly fair...mind if I even the odds?"

Six chakra swords appeared, near its tails. They wrapped themselves around the swords, and brandished them like makeshift arms.

The being gave a growl of satisfaction, and grinned.

"No jutsu, just the edge of our blades..."

The Deva Path nodded, and approached the being, and the other Paths followed. The being approached as well, and when they stood face to face, it held out its blades, while the Paths did the same.

"Well then, let's go." It said with a grin.

The being immediately crouched, as its six tails parried the blows easily, the Paths were forced back a step. The being stood, and engaged the Asura.

Pein, through the Asura's eyes, could see that this being was an expert in bladed combat, quite possibly the best he'd ever seen. He could parry the Asura's blows perfectly, a foe who had a four arm advantage. All while fighting his other bodies with his tails.

The surprising thing was that its tails were keeping them on the defensive.

It cut off an arm, and another, till the only bladed weapon he had was the sawblade tail. The Asura Path swung it at the being. It stepped back, and brought both blades down on the sawblade, smashing it to pieces. The Asura Path looked to the being, mild surprise on its face.

The being just smiled and swung at Asura's head, slicing it clean off. It felt another strike coming from behind him. One of its tails threw its sword upwards, and just as the spike was about to connect, the being vanished. Pein swung at empty air, and heard that sound, the sound a falling bomb makes.

He looked up, and saw the being above him, its blade prepared to kill. It sliced cleanly through the Preta Path, and Pein lost the connection.

The being landed just as the Preta Path split in two, and hurled six of his blades toward the remaining Paths. The first 2 reached the Animal Path, who stepped between them, only to have the being appear behind her, its hands wrapped around the swords just as they passed her. It then slashed her diagonally, cutting an X into her body. It then vanished again, reappearing with the second pair, which had just passed the Human Path, who sidestepped to avoid them. It appeared next to him, and used both swords to decapitate the Human Path. It vanished one last time, and reappeared with the third pair, which the Deva Path repelled with Shinra Tensei. It caught them just as Pein repelled them, hilt up in his left hand, hilt down in his right hand. He rushed toward Pein at blinding speed, and reappeared in front of Pein, his swords crossed on Pein's neck.

"I told you, that if you ever touch Hinata, I'd cut your head off." Remiel said; skin and clothes slowly appearing on his bone-white form.

"Didn't I tell you that?"

And with that, he cut Pein's head off, leaving only...

"Nagato."


	6. Redemption

Redemption

Remiel's shoulders sagged from exhaustion. He sank to his knees, tired but happy, that he had avenged Hinata. Naruto ran over to him, leaping over the fallen bodies of Pein.

"Hey, Kenshin, you alright?"

"Where the hell were you? The little ninja's room?" said Remiel, to Naruto's annoyance.

"Yeah, you're alright." Said Naruto with a smirk.

"There's only one left...the real one...There should be enough of Pein's chakra in those spikes to trace his real body."

Naruto glanced at the Deva Path's cold headless body, and gripped its black spike. In an instant, Naruto's eyes could see a forest path, and at the end of it, a cave.

Inside, lay the real Pein.

Naruto let go of the spike, and looked to the general direction of the cave.

"Come on Kenshin, let's tear this guy a new one."Naruto said eagerly, trying to make for his inaction earlier.

"No, I'm afraid it takes time for me to get up to speed again, using the Lunar Wolf drains me. Go ahead, I..." Remiel glanced back to Hinata.

"...have other things to do..."

With a curt nod of acknowledgement, Naruto sped off to Pein's hideout. Remiel got up, and walked toward Hinata.

He lay down beside her, and as he fought back the darkness at the edge of his vision, he held her hand.

"I love you Hinata, God knows I do."

With that, the darkness claimed him, and he did not fight it.

Valdescir stepped out of the woods, just as unconsciousness claimed Remiel. As the two lay there on the ground, a ghost of a smile played on his lips as a question floated within his mind...

_Do you love? _

He picked them both up, and as he picked Hinata up, he felt it.

The rhythmic pulse of the Divine Flame.

Beating within Hinata.

He chanced a glance at the unconscious Remiel, and wondered at how he was able to pull this off. He flew off to the hospital immediately, for he knew that time was of the essence if he wished to save Hinata.


	7. Goodbyes

Goodbyes

Remiel awoke under a clear blue sky. Not one cloud marked the heavens.

He felt the wind's soft caress on his cheek, as he lay down underneath the cloudless sky. He sat up from the waist, and found himself sitting in an ocean of white roses, gently swaying in the breeze. He tried to remember what happened prior to his arrival here, but the only thing that came to him was  
(_crying as he held Hinata's cold form_)  
cutting Pein's head off, and returning to Hinata, for one last promise.

He feared that by losing consciousness, his essence sent a signal back to Nu-Salem, requesting his immediate evac from this realm. He had fought so hard, but he had failed...

His eyes caught sight of a large tree in the distance. Under it, was a lone figure, it seemed to be wearing a hat , but in the tree's shade, he couldn't see the figure's face.

That was when it hit him, that this was not Nu-Salem, but his own inner world. He felt such relief, he thought he would cry.

Somehow, he had avoided being transported to Nu-Salem, and managed to enter his inner world. With that, he stood up, and went toward the tree.

When he arrived, he could see the figure more clearly. It was clearly a she, the way her white sundress flowed over her slender form, and she wore an orange sun hat, a hat that seemed hauntingly familiar.

Then it hit him, hard.

"S-Selene?"

At the mention of her name, the girl turned, and Remiel found himself reliving that horrible night as he beheld the girl's beautiful, familiar face.  
Images flashed through his head, of holding this girl's hand in the park as they walked...of watching this girl die along with his team...of asking her about that orange hat...

He could still remember how it went...

In a life long past, Iori Hiryuu sat on the park bench, his arm wrapped around Selene's shoulders as she snuggled up to him. He brushed back her black hair over her ear, not tied in pigtails today, just for him. The orange sunhat lay on her lap, useless under the tree on which their bench stood under. Iori had always been planning to ask her about the hat, and he thought that now would be a perfect time to ask.

"Sel?"

"Yes, love?" replied Selene.

"You wear that hat everywhere when were not on a mission."

"And?"

"Well, I just been wondering, you know...What's up with it?"asked Iori awkwardly.

Selene picked it up, and placed it on her head.

"Why, this hat in my sunrise, or sunset hat."

"'sunrise or sunset hat?'" asked a confused Iori.

"Yeah! It's my sunrise hat, when I'm happy, since sunrises make me happy! But it's my Sunset hat when I'm sad, since sunsets are good to watch when you feel sad." explained Selene, a sweet smile on her face.

"So what is it today?"

"Hmmm...I think it's my Sunrise Hat today."

Remiel planted a kiss on her forehead.

"You sure?" he asked, a smile on his face as well.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"Long time no see, Iori-kun"

She gave him a hug, a long, tight hug that Remiel returned.

"God, I missed you so much..." said Remiel, tears flowing from his eyes.

""I'm so sorry, I couldn't do anything to save you."

Selene, tears brimming in her eyes as well, kissed him, the passionate kiss of lovers long lost from each other's arms.

"Don't worry, Iori-kun. I've long forgiven you. I'm here today, to tell you to forgive yourself." Said Selene as they broke their kiss.

Remiel looked into her eyes once more, and looked away.

"You are a prisoner to your past, Iori-kun. Let go, and accept the present. Forgive yourself for your past." Selene continued, taking Remiel's hands in hers.

Remiel looked back to her, and Selene could see the determination in his eyes.

"So, it's a sunset hat today, huh?" he said suddenly.

A sad smile formed on her face.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

They shared one last kiss, the long kiss of parting lovers.

As they broke their kiss, the white ocean around the tree turned to yellow in wind.

"Goodbye, Iori-kun."

With that, the sun set on Remiel's inner world, leaving him to forgive his past, and live for the present.

The wind caressed his cheek, and in its touch, he seemed to hear a voice in the wind...

"Take care of Hinata, will you?"


	8. Awakened

Awakened

Remiel awoke not under a blue sky, but in Konoha's sick ward. He lay on a bed, the sterile, white folding kind. He thought back to his dream, his inner world...and Selene.

He rubbed his eyes, and the first thing he saw, was the orange sunhat resting on his bedside table.

"It was a gift, from your friend." spoke a voice from his bedside. He turned to the speaker,n

He saw Valdescir trying to light a cigarette at his bedside, his ornate silver lighter clicking in the gloom of the sick ward.

"You know this is a no smoking room, right?" said Remiel in a hoarse voice that didn't sound like him.

Valdescir merely gave a shrug.

After clearing his throat, Remiel continued.

"How long was I out?" asked Remiel, his voice sounding a little less hoarse.

"Three days, you were moaning sumthin' about forgiveness...but other than that, you were out like a light." said Valdescir, finally managing to light his cigarette, which surprisingly did not give off any smoke.

"You need to get a drink." Said Valdescir, gesturing to Remiel's bedside table, where a glass of cold water had appeared next to the hat.

Remiel grabbed it, and gulped it down greedily, spilling some water onto his bare chest.

"Well, the seven sparks want you to return to Nu-Salem as you went on unofficial leave, but it was negated by the fact that you prevented an outburst of Chaos in this realm, and so, they've decided to let you off." said Valdescir as Remiel drank from his glass.

"But I still have to go back, right? Three months are up." Said Remiel after he had finished

"Yes, but I requested that they grant my little request, and well, I'll let them say it themselves."

He pulled out a clear glass mirror out of his trenchcoat, and waited as the connection was set.

A picture appeared on the mirror, a man wearing a very professional business suit, his white blond hair combed over his head.

"They've taken on the forms of lawyers, its apparently rather amusing to them, what with all the references of lawyers going to hell and such."

Remiel heard Valdescir say something under his breath like "Retards..."

"Testing, testing...one two one two...Hello, Remiel, are you there?" the man said in a slight British accent.

"Lord Michael." Said Remiel, bowing his head in respect.

"On behalf of the Seven Sparks, I, Archangel Michael, honor your request for Guardianship of that realm."

"G-Guardianship?" asked a shocked Remiel.

"Yes, your friend here has been bugging us for your guardianship in that realm, and since you seem so accustomed to that realm, we approve." Said the Archangel, a smile playing on his lips.

"That means...I-I can..." stammered Remiel.

"Yes, kiddo...you can stay." said Valdescir.

A look of joy filled Remiel's face, Valdescir smiled as the boy took the news so well.

"I've got to tell Hina- Where's Hinata?" said Remiel, worry clouding over his overjoyed face.

"You really care about that girl, don't you?" said Valdescir as he stubbed out his dying cigarette.

He gave a small sigh, and then pointed to the last bed, covered in surgical screens, the kind that surgeons use.

"The one at the end." Said Valdescir, fumbling in his trenchcoat for another cigarette.

Remiel got out of bed, and walked as fast as his stiff legs would allow. He got to the last bed, and pulled back the screens.

His eyes saw Hinata, lying on the bed. Her skin had taken a sickly pallor, but underneath the skin, lines of yellow surged through her form, following blood vessels and veins. Her black hair was blanching, becoming more of a lavender color. Only the ends remained their original color.

"Val, what's happening to her?" asked Remiel.

Valdescir walked over, and looked at Hinata.

"She's ascending. Becoming an angel." Valdescir said matter-of-factly.

"Wha..How? Did you do this?"

Valdescir shot him a mildly surprised look.

"Nope, she was like that when I took the both of you to the hospital. I felt the pulse of the Divine Flame within her bones. No, this was something you did."

Now it was Remiel's turn to look surprised.

"Me? How did I..." of course, it was then that he remembered his last act before  
(_before killing Pein_)  
giving in to his bloodlust. He had shot pure divine energy into the spike, thinking that it would be destroyed. It was destroyed, but apparently, it had another side effect....

This.

"Congratulations, Remiel, you've just created an angel."


	9. Hinata in the Valley of Darkness

Hinata in the Valley of Darkness

Hinata awoke in darkness. It was not just darkness, twas' darkness almost tangible, a darkness that was felt and seen. She tried to stand, but standing up felt the same as sitting down. Only the sensation told her that she was standing. She took a step, and from her step came a golden light, that soared into the endless darkness above her. It formed a sphere, a golden ball of light that became solid. Slowly it's light faded to white, and then the world was lit. The moon hovered above her in the night sky. The darkness was banished against the moonlight. Stars dotted the sky. She looked down, and saw the lavenders gently swaying in the cool night breeze. She remembered  
(_pain, or pein in her heart_)  
Pein stabbing her with his spike.

She remembered dying.

She looked ahead, and saw a tea table set amongst the lavenders. As she came closer, a figure appeared at the other side of the table. The figure seemed familiar to Hinata, and as she approached, in her mind she knew that this man was familiar to her, but a name did not come to her.

His black hair hung long over his clothes, while a headband obscured his eyes under their shadow.

"Sit down, Hinata. Have some tea."

Reluctantly, Hinata sat down.

"How is Neji treating you?" asked the man, as he poured tea into Hinata's cup.

"He's treating me better than he used to." Said Hinata, smiling slightly at Neji's recognition of her skill.

"Good, good...and how is Hanabi?"

Hinata jumped slightly at the mention of her sister's name, but answered anyway

"She's fine. She actually getting pretty good." Said Hinata, as she noticed a glow in the distance behind the man.

"Well, it seems that all is well in the Hyuuga household, and for that I am glad."

Hinata could see what made the glow earlier.

Fireflies.

Hundreds, thousands, millions of them all coming toward them. They were so numerous that the horizon glowed with their light.

"Sir, excuse me, but I believe we have to-"

But the man cut her off before she finished.

"I see you've noticed them. I believe they're coming for you, not me. My time is long past, I'm afraid."

The table disappeared between them as the fireflies swirled about Hinata, enveloping her in a cocoon of light.

"Tell Neji to loosen up and be happy...after all what father wouldn't want his son to be happy?" said the man, as Hinata saw the man's eyes with the aid of the fireflies, she saw that they possessed the Byakugan.

She now knew who he was.

"I will...Hizashi-san."

The fireflies fly faster and faster, till all Hinata sees is golden light...


	10. Phoenix Rebirth

Phoenix Rebirth

Remiel watched as Hinata's fingers began to glow. The glow sped up her hand, and then her arms were covered in golden light. Soon, her entire body was glowing.

"Valdescir, what's happening to her?" asked Remiel, worry etched onto his face.

"Why, this is the final phase of her ascension. Her flesh, purged by the Divine Flame, will burn off, revealing the highest form that body can achieve."

The pair watched as embers floated off of Hinata's body. Her hair had become a light lavender color a minute ago, and not one strand of hair was in her original hair color.

The embers' numbers grew, till finally, Hinata bursts into white flames.

Seeing Hinata ablaze, sent Remiel into a panic. He found the right jutsu, and was about to complete the handseals when Valdescir gripped his hands tight.

"But Hinata's on fire!" exclaimed Remiel.

"I know that, Captain Obvious. There's a reason why we call this phase 'Phoenix Rebirth'."

He let go of Remiel's hands, who had understood perfectly, thought his mind couldn't help but imagine that Hinata was in pain, though from the looks of it, she might've been just sleeping.

At last the flames subsided, and in the ashes, lay Hinata, asleep and no worse for wear.

She wore an unblemished sleeveless white hoodie, cut off above her stomach, exposing her abdomen. She also wore white pants that clung to her shapely legs. Her hair remained its lavender coloring.

Remiel couldn't believe his eyes. The beautiful girl on the bed might have been a stranger had ha not seen what she had looked like before.

"Go on, go to her, she's your gal after all." Said Valdescir, turning to light another cigarette.

Remiel approached, and smiled.

He brushed her hair behind her ear, and she stirred at his touch.

Her eyes opened, and he could see a hint of blue in her eyes.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Remiel smiled at her, Hinata smiled back.

"I had the weirdest dream...I dreamt that I got to speak with my uncle, and that he told me to tell Neji to loosen up."

Remiel suddenly kissed her, and Hinata could feel the joy and worry that was behind that kiss.

As they broke the kiss, Hinata asked...

"So, how do I look?"


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Are sure you're ready?"

"Positive."

"You've only had 3 weeks of training!"

"I know, and besides, even if I fall, what's the worst that could happen?"

Remiel gave it some thought. Then shrugged.

"Go ahead then. I'll be keeping pace alongside you."

Hinata smiled, and leapt off the Hokage Monument. Halfway through her fall, she unfurled her wings, and soared above the streets of Konoha. Remiel gave a bemused sigh, and leapt off as well, following Hinata's lead.

He soon caught up with over the forest. They landed on a rather tall tree, smiling and laughing as they did so.

"I can see why you love flying so much!" said Hinata, rendering her wings invisible and intangible, a trick Remiel taught her 2 weeks ago. She had already mastered it.

"It's a good thing I can share it with you now. Now I don't have to feel so guilty about flying by myself. Also, my arms and back don't hurt anymore, since you started flying." replied Remiel, miming holding his back in pain.

"Are you saying I'm heavy?" asked Hinata with a smile.

"No, I'm saying I'm thankful that we can share this experience together."

They held hands for a moment...till...

"Race you to Suna?" asked Remiel.

"I'm game!"

**End**


End file.
